MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Jerri Green, David Hatley and Lauren Pinkston, three of the candidates running to replace Gov. Bill Lee, will share a stage Tuesday night at Middle Tennessee State University, in what organizers bill as the only nonpartisan forum of the 2026 governor race.
Green, the Democratic nominee, has signed on, as have two candidates running without a party label, Hatley and Pinkston. Republican nominee U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn was invited but had not confirmed, and she has said publicly she will not debate her opponents this fall.
The forum, organized by the Tennessee Press Association, starts at 7 p.m. Central, 8 p.m. Eastern, on Oct. 27. It is closed to an in-person audience but will be streamed online by member news sites around the state.
The format itself drew a dispute. In a Sept. 28 release, Green argued the independents should not share the stage and that debate invitations normally depend on set thresholds such as polling and fundraising. The association responded that both independents are running statewide campaigns with paid professional staff.
Debate talk has run through the campaign for months. Pinkston has circulated a petition calling for a full four-way debate, and Hatley has offered to give $1 million to charity if Blackburn agrees to face him and Green.
The winner on Nov. 3 will be the first new governor Tennessee voters have chosen in eight years. Early voting continues through Thursday, Oct. 29.
Viewers can expect questions on the issues that have shaped the race so far, from taxes and the state budget to schools, health care and housing costs. With Blackburn unlikely to appear, the forum offers her three rivals a rare joint platform in the final week before Election Day.
Section: More Nashville TN politics news
Filed under: Nashville TN Politics News
